Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-18

life of it. An irregular fiber which, in
places, feels and looks dead, is not worth
much for any kind of goods finer than
carpets and rugs. Regular and lively
fiber can be grown only on healthy sheep
fed regularly on proper food plentifully
fed in comfortable and healthy quarters.
Wool fiber grows like plant, and very
good illustration of the point we desire
to present may be found in the potato
grown in an unusually irregular season
at one time growing vigorously, at an.
other time starved by drouth or drowned
by water. Potatoes grown under such
conditions are not good. as every farmer
knows. So, if sheep are surfeited part
of the time, starved part of the time, ex-
posed to all kinds of weather in all sea-
sons, their wool will show the effects of
their keeping and will be weak, irregular,
half dead. To produce good wool, regu-
lar, lively, strong, the sheep must be well
cared for and that all the time, so that
the fiber may grow steadily and health
fully. Every observing farmer knows
how quickly disease or lack of food, or
impure or unclean food affects the hair
of horses, hogs and cattle. The effect is
precisely the same on sheep, and it is
are growing the wool for use.
After the wool is grown it is important
that it be well taken care of and pre-
pared for market in good condition. If
the wool-grower understands that wool
must be sorted before it is used by manu-
features, they will recognize the impor-
lance of some well-defned general plan
of putting up wool in grades at the farm.
Hnr Co oc
a package of wool: "Put it on the table,
and it is beautiful fleece to behold
light, pugy and free. The string comes
off freely. To open it from the cen
ter to either end is but to touch it with
slight pressure-but 10, what is here? A
handful of short hard tags cut last fall;
another handful of clippings cut this
spring: another handful of sweat locks
swept from the floor. Is that all? No;
here is another bunch of wool, of another
color, different staple; It smells differ
emit; 1t must be-yes, it is a part of rams
fleece"
The way Of putting up wool is very ex-
pensive to the farmer, because it dis
credits his wool in the market. Better
throw inferior stuff away than to mix it
with good wool, for the price is determ-
ined by the worst samples and the prob
able expense of sorting. The manufac-
turer above quoted is New Yorker, and
he was addressing a convention of New
York farmers when he used that language.
He told them "that system of putting up
wool cost too much.' And then he went
on to say that 'western New York wool is
neglected in the seaboard markets be-
cause the buyer knows that he will pay
for what is not wool. The tags you put
III the fall are hardly worth saving. All
the wool there is an the fribs and stuff
that is swept from the floor in a days
shearing will hardly weigh two pounds,
and the trife of wool that attaches the
execresences at the spring trimming had
far better be left out of the feeces."
The Rochester wool buyers, short time
before these remarks we're made, had re-
solved to reject all washed wool where the
tieeces contain tags, either washed or I'M
washed, or dead wool. They proposed to
buy such unmercantable wool at its value,
but must have it separated.
Farmers of Kansas ought to have twice
as many sheep as they do have. Every
farm ought 30 have flock. There is no
more profitable animal when well taken
care Of. They are not troublesome, they
are not expensive, and yet. when well
cared for they will pay for themselves
twice every year, even at low prices
for wool. Have good stock, keep them
well, make good wool, and put it on the
market in good condition.